Morocco will take on Kenya on Thursday evening in their first Group B encounter at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The much-anticipated showdown is scheduled to kick off at 18:00 GMT at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
Thursday’s match between Morocco and Kenya will be the first between the two U20 national team’s at the TotalEnergies CAF U20 AFCON.
Morocco, returning to the competition after missing the 2023 edition, will be making their 13th appearance in the tournament since debuting in 1979. Their proud history includes a championship win in 1997 on home soil, as well as semi-final finishes in 1987 and 2005.
In their last outing in 2021, the North Africans exited at the quarter-final stage without conceding a single goal across four matches.
Historically, Morocco have had mixed results against East African opposition. They lost 2-1 to Ethiopia in their 1993 opener but bounced back with a 2-0 win over Sudan in 1997.
In their most recent encounter against a CECAFA side, they cruised to a 3-0 win over Tanzania in the group stage of the 2021 edition.
Kenya, on the other hand, are making a long-awaited return to the U20 AFCON finals, appearing for the first time since 1979. Back then, their campaign ended in heartbreak as they were eliminated in the first round of qualifiers by Ethiopia, despite winning the first leg 2-0. A 4-0 loss in the return leg sealed a 4-2 aggregate defeat.
This time, Kenya secured their place at the 2025 tournament by finishing as runners-up in the 2024 CECAFA U-20 Championship.
Despite taking the lead in the final against hosts Tanzania, they lost 2-1. Key to their qualification campaign were forwards Kelvin Wangaya and Aldrine Kibet, both of whom netted four goals during the regional tournament.
Both teams are eager to make a winning start to this year’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
